Full of excitement and action, New York City is a location we love exploring. There is plenty to do here both with and without children.

How long to stay?

We’ve been to New York City for varying lengths of time. Our first trip (as a tourist), we stayed six nights. On subsequent trips, our stays have averaged closer to three nights. I’d say if it’s your first time to The Big Apple, five nights is a good amount of time. That should give you plenty of time to see all the major sites, catch a Broadway show or two, and add in some fine dining experiences.

One thing that I greatly appreciate about the city is the prevalence of subway stations. They might not always smell the best, but it’s an efficient, cost-effective method of getting around town. While you could decide to instead take a taxi, the problem is all the traffic on surface streets.

What we did in New York City

Visit the Statue of Liberty

I’m sure just about everyone knows the Statue of Liberty was a gift from the people of France. It’s a symbol of hope and inspiration in what can otherwise feel like a gloomy world.

If you choose to come here, there’s only one way on the island–by booking the official tour. Since it’s run by national park services, it’s actually quite affordable. Be sure to choose the correct access when purchasing your ticket to avoid disappointment. When we went to visit the Statue, we included both pedestal and crown access to our ticket.

It can feel a little claustrophobic inside the crown, but it’s also immensely an interesting visit. Being inside the Statue gives a unique perspective. I’ll admit that I knew people could be inside the Statue of Liberty (thanks for that, Ghostbusters II). But I didn’t realize it was quite this hollowed out. It’s certainly a memorable visit.

Alternatively, you could choose one of many companies that will cruise around the Statue of Liberty. While you won’t be able to land at the Statue with these other companies, you still get a good view of Lady Liberty.

Empire State Building vs. Top of the Rock

I’m going to put this as a “vs.” because these are two of the more popular ways to view the skyline. I feel like everyone’s default is to go to the Empire State Building, which I’ve done multiple times. Each time I do it, there’s a lengthy line. The line is so long that it takes well over an hour to get up to the observation level. The views are nice once you’re up there, but the crowds aren’t fun. Ticket prices are a bit painful:

• 86th floor: $44/adult, $38/child, $42/senior
• 102nd floor: $79/adult, $73/child, $77/senior
• 86th floor (express): $85/person
• 102nd floor (express): $120/person
• The “premium experience”: $175/person
• The “all access tour”: $500/person

What about the Top of the Rock? While the building itself isn’t as tall as the Empire State Building (70 stories high), you’ll still get great views of the city. Plus, as someone once told me, the benefit of the Top of the Rock is that your pictures will include the Empire State Building. Ticket prices seem to be based off of what the Empire State Building charges:

• General admission: as low as $40/adult, $34/child, $38/senior
• Express pass: as low as $95/person

Either choice is expensive. Are you just coming up here to snap a picture of New York City and that’s it? There might be rooftop lounges or restaurants that can give you that picture for less money. Want to do it because you want to live your tourist fantasies? Then I would recommend the Top of the Rock. Not only will you get views of the Empire State Building (see the cover photo of this post), but the lines aren’t as painful and the price can be marginally cheaper.

Central Park

Say hello to a lovely tranquil area in an otherwise bustling city. Stepping into Central Park feels like you’re stepping into another area, which is completely welcome for us. You’ll find lots of people exercising or enjoying the greenery. If you have children, you’ll enjoy the many playgrounds and perhaps an ice skating rink if you’re in New York City during colder months.

You could also check out Central Park Zoo, which is on the smaller side compared to other zoos. But the zoo is incredibly easy to access with public transportation–or just walking there from your hotel. That’s something I can’t say about many other zoos in the world.

And, hey, while you’re exploring Central Park, you should also check out a couple of other awesome places in the area. Visiting The Met is a popular option if you’re into 20th and 21st century art. Or if you want something a little different, I like going to Grant’s Tomb not just because it’s free but the architecture is beautiful and it’s nice getting away from the crowds who perhaps don’t know about it.

Times Square

Arguably the busiest part of the city, the area is full of bright lights and overstimulation at all times of the day. But aside from taking that typical tourist photo, is there anything to do here? You’ll inevitably pass by Times Square if you’re on your way to a Broadway show. If you like people watching, it might be interesting to pull up a chair and watch others. But personally I feel the area is a bit overrated.

Now if you’re in New York City for New Year’s Eve, be prepared for a cluster. The area gets locked down early and if you’re planning on waiting for the ball drop, be prepared to stand around for many, many hours. It’s tiring and if you have children with you, expect a lot of complaining. You can consider booking a hotel in Times Square, which is immensely more enjoyable as you can watch the crowds from the comfort of your room. And then when it’s time, go run down to the lobby to be in the crowd.

As you might expect, hotel rates are extremely expensive. So do what we did and book your room with points and get a phenomenal deal that we otherwise wouldn’t have had. (Real ones would remember when Hilton allowed you to book four nights at 160,000 points at any hotel.)

Scott’s Pizza Tours

Want a tour that feels a little different than other tours? Try a walking tour by Scott’s Pizza Tours. When we took this tour, Scott himself led it. But regardless of who you get, expect the guide to be a big pizza fanatic. This tour has a bit of a nerdy vibe to it but the quirkiness adds to the charm of the experience. We were brought around to sample different styles of pizzas and asked to note the nuances of each. I’ll admit I never thought too much about pizza before this tour.

It’s through this tour that we found our favorite pizza place in New York City, Kesté. The freshness of the pizza and the cheese pull made us return after the tour to experience it again. This is pure deliciousness.

For more information on activities mentioned above or other things we did in the city, check out our post on what we did with our children.

Where we ate in New York City

Pio Pio

I love Peruvian food. There’s something about the way they cook chicken and blend the flavors together that makes my mouth salivate. So it should come as no surprise that I enjoy a local chain called Pio Pio. This is one restaurant I find myself coming back to almost every time I’m in the city. Do yourself a favor and get the lomo saltado, a rotisserie chicken, and lots of green sauce when you’re in town.

Katz’s Deli

Katz’s Delicatessen is a famous deli made popular by the movie When Harry Met Sally. You know that scene in the movie where Sally (Meg Ryan) acts like she’s having a good time and another customer asks to have what she’s having? Yeah, there is a sign hanging that shows off where she was sitting.

The food itself is pretty darn good too. Get the pastrami sandwich, which is extremely filling on its own. It’s not cheap (pushing $30 for a sandwich), but they’ve certainly perfected the sandwich.

Peter Luger Steak House

There are now more locations of Peter Luger Steak House, but we visited the one in Brooklyn. This was one of the better steaks we’ve had, with that tasty crust on the outside and warm tenderness on the inside. Yeah, we even needed to take the bone back to the hotel to continue savoring it after the meal was officially over. We found the service to be a bit stuffy, which isn’t that atypical of steakhouses, but the reason we came was for the food and it didn’t disappoint.

Quality Italian

I’ll admit that we were a little worried about the name of a restaurant that has the word “quality” in it. But Quality Italian actually exceeded expectations by a fair amount. The pastas are all freshly made and the flavors sealed the deal. We noticed almost every table ordering what looked like a pizza where instead of dough it was a flattened chicken parmesan. We’ll have to check that out next time we stop in. We walked away pretty satisfied but make sure you get a reservation.

Where we stayed in New York City

Thompson Central Park

We loved our stay at the Thompson, which was our first time at this Hyatt brand. Service was good, and the room was big enough for our needs. The hotel did look like it was under a slight amount of restoration while we were there, but it didn’t interfere with our stay. Globalist benefits are good with an excellent breakfast. Somehow there was even a friendly waiter performing a magic show for the kids. We’d be open to returning.

For more details, check out our dedicated post on this hotel.

Andaz 5th Avenue

One of the things we liked the most about the Andaz 5th was its location, in easy walking distance of Grand Central and across the street from the Public Library. (The library, in fact, is a low-key place to spend some time with the kids.) The service at the hotel was efficient and we’ve liked the vibe. The Andaz is designed for a younger crowd and I’ve always liked it much more than Marriott’s W brand.

If you’re eating breakfast at the hotel, go for the lemon ricotta pancakes. We’ve had them at other restaurants but the pancakes here are the best.

Park Hyatt New York

We’ve done what felt like the full tour of Hyatt hotels in the city. The Park Hyatt New York is at the upper end of the scale, where you’ll feel a bit out of place. Service was good–albeit a bit stuffy for our tastes–and it’s nice having an indoor pool. As you might expect, this is one of the most expensive hotels in the Hyatt portfolio.

Is it worth it? We’d argue probably not. There are other Park Hyatt’s we’ve liked more that had more local charm or provided better service. When a city already has excellent hotels (like the other two mentioned above) at a marginally cheaper price, we don’t feel the need to splurge to stay here. This is more of a ‘special reason’ hotel than a ‘let’s stay here every time we’re in the city’ hotel.

What do you like to do in New York City?

Suggested reading:

• Other destinations we’ve visited
• Review: Delta One Lounge JFK
• Review: American Express Centurion Lounge – JFK